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A positive message

The passage of the Bill in Lok Sabha seeking 10 per cent reservation in job and education for poor people belonging to the upper castes is a significant chapter in India's democracy. How far the Bill will prove beneficial for the people is a question that only time will answer but the incident is significant as it sent out a positive message across the country and also to those who watch India's politics closely that when needed, leaders of the country can go beyond their political obligation to stand in support of things that ensure benefit of the commoners. Parliament has witnessed several Winter Sessions where uproars led to repeated adjournment of sessions, and both Houses remained almost non-functional. Then Opposition’s rigid stand demanding a JPC probe into 2G scam and their scathing attacks on the UPA government over alleged leak of the Liberhan Commission enquiry report on Babri Masjid demolition are major examples of the Winter Session turning into a battlefield instead of a place for discussion on serious issues.
In that sense the passage of the quota Bill for job and education for the poor people belonging to the upper castes is a very positive development since it was supported by majority of the Opposition parties, in spite of questions being raised by many of them. Significantly, the Bill was passed on a day when a Supreme Court verdict reinstating Alok Verma as CBI Chief came as a shot in the arms for the Opposition. They claimed the verdict has indicted the government and the country also saw the Congress president sending out a very strong message to Prime Minister over the Rafale issue. Yet, the Opposition stood by the government's move for a smooth passage of the Bill which showed that leaders are still ready to set aside their narrow political gains and stand up for positive effort by the government for the people of this country.
Yes, there are points where the Opposition may question this Bill and express doubt that whether it will really bring smile on the faces of the poor people or is it just a 'political gimmick' by the government ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. But by allowing the Bill to pass smoothly, the public representatives have, beyond doubt, send out a positive message.